Railway-traffic-controlling apparatus



Faente Aug. 8, i922.

L. V. LEWLS RAILWAY TRAFFlc CONTROLLLNG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.24.1971.

a I NVENTOR.

Mw ATTORNEY.

"narran carena carica.

LLOYD V. LEWIS, OF EDGEVIOOD UNION SWITCH in SIGNAL PENNSYLVNIA.

SWISSVALE; PA., A CORPORATION OF RALWAY-TAFFG-CONTBGLLNG APPARATUS.

Specicat'on oi Letters Patent.

Patented ring, S, 1%22.

Original applicationilled November 25, 191B, Serial No. 263,969. Dividedand this application ed March 24, 1921. Serial No. 255,139.

To all 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that l. LLOYD V. Lewis, al

citizen ci the United States, residing at Edgewood Bof ugh, in thecounty of Ailegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful lm n'ovement in Railway-Traflie-Controlling; i' pparatus, ornwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates te railway traflic controlling apparatus and hasfor an object the provision of simple and reliable means fortransmitting'toa railway vehicle indicationsoftrafhc conditions inadvance without' mechanical or electrical Contact between devices on thevehicle and devices in the trackway.

The present application is' a division of my co-pending applicationfiled November 25, 1918, Serial No. 263969, for railway tratficcontrolling apparatus.

I will describe one form of apparatus enibodying` my inventiomand willthen point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic View. showingY one form otrailway raflic controlling apparatus embodying my invention. i

Referring to the drawing the reference characters H and H designate thetrack rails of a railway, which rails are divided into block sectionsifi-WB. B-(`, etc., by insulated joints 2. Each section is provided witha track circuit comprising the two track rails of the section, a trackbattery 3, and a track relay designatedby the reference character ll`with an exponent corre` spondingr to the location ot' the relay. Thesetrack relays are employed to control the ini' the vehicles travelin amanner herein.-

dications transmitted to ing.,r along the railway, after explained.

Located in block section A-ll is a vehicle V A(a railway car or train)which represented by two axles and two pairs of wheels. This vehicle isprovided with apparatus which I will now describe.

Mounted on the vehicle is an electron tube K comprisingr a vacuum bulbLl, containing a filament 5,1m plate 6, and a grid 7 between thefilamentand the plate. The filament 5 is constantly heatedtoincandescence by a battery 8 through acircuit which is obvious from thedrawing. Between the grid 7 and filament 5 an alternating difference otpotential is maintained due to sustained oscillations in a circuit awhich is timed to resonance at a predetermined frequency, and theoscillations in this" circuit` a .are in turn maintained by a portion ofthe energy output from the plate circuit of the electron tube l. Circuita comprises a condenser ll and the secondary l2 of a transformer T3. Theterminals o'f' the condenser are connected with the filament and gridrespectively of the electron tubeli, a blocking` condenser 9 being'included inthe connection as shown. A high resistance or grid leak l0 isoptionally connected in multiple with the condenser 9 in order toprevent the accumulation ot' an excessive negative charge on the id 7.The plate'circuit for electron tube is from a battery 13 through Wires14 and 55, primary of transformer- T, wire I8, primary 19 of transformerT",' wire 2() to plate 6, thence through the tube K. to battery 13.rl-he electron tube K is thus connected in suchinanner that it acts' asa self-excited generator ot pulsating current, of a frequency which isdetermined hv the constants of circuit fr.. This Yfrequency l will ternithe given frequency. i

The plate circuit v,ust traced is coupled to a' secondoscillating'circuit b by a transformer T, so that oscillations aresustained in circuit by energy .from the plate circuit. Circuit o passestrom the secondary ot' transformer T, throng-h wire 56, contact 5T of' arelay R, wire 58, condenser 22, primary ot a transformer T, wire 59,coil 23, and wire G() to the secondary of transformer T. Coil 23 iswound on a laminated soft iron core 24 which is U-shaped as shown, withits legs projecting ldownwardly, and the plane ot the core is parallelto the track rails H and H. Located at certain points in the trackwayarebars D of sott iron, preferably laminated, each of which bars is alsoparallel with the track rails, and is so positioned that itis directlyunder and close to the open ends ot' core 24 as the vehicle passes overthe bar. The elements in circuit Z1 are so proportioned that when porc24 is not infiuencedloy a har D` this circuit is resonant at the givenfrequency, so that oscillations' ot' considerable amplitude then existin cir-- cuit b. When core 24 passes over a trackway bar D, however, thereluctance of the inagnetic circuit ot" this core is considerablyreduced, so that the inductance ofcoil 23 is greatly increased. Circuitb is then not resonant at the 'given frequency,A hence the arnplitude ofthe oscillations in this circuit is greatly reduced.

The reference character K designates a second electron tube, the platecircuit for which is from battery 13, through wires 14 and 67, winding66 of relay R, windingr 64 of this relay and condenser 65 in multi le,Wire 63,'thence' through electron tube i', and wire 62 to battery 13.Relay R controls a brake application ma net M, the circuit being frombattery 27, through the Winding ot magnet M and contact 50 of relay l,to battery 27'. The magnet M controls brake application apparatus ot'any suitable form, in such. manner that an automatic application ot' thebrakes occurs whenever this magnet becomes deienergized. T

rl`he secondary circuit of transformer constitutes the grid circuit fortube K', and this circuit, which is designated c, is troni the secondaryof transformer T', through u ire (51` condenser 4G, wires (32 and 50,coil 44, and wire 68 to the secondary ot transformer T. The terminals ofthe condenser 46 are connected with the lament and grid respectively, ofthe electron tube ii', a blocking condenser 47 being inserted in thisconnection shown. Coil 44 is Wound on a laminated soft iron. core fl?)which is it shaped, with its legs projecting,r downwardly, and isarranged transversely with respect to the track, as shown in thedrawing. Located in the traclrway adjacent each bar D is va conductoriV, which is at times supplied with alternatingr current by meanshereinat'ter explained. YVhen the vehicle-carried core 45 passes over aconductor W in v/hich alternating current is flowing, part of themagnetic lines of torce surrounding the conductor pass through the core45 and so induce an alternating potential in the coil 44, whereuponsustained oscillations are produced in the resonant circuit c, providedthe alter-ating current in the conductor l/V is of the given frequency.This produces an al ternating difference of potential between the gridand filament of the electron tube l', whereby an alternatingl componentis produced in the current in K which contains the windings o rela'Since this relay is of the well known induction motor type, it is notaffected by the continuous or steady component of the current in thiscircuit, but by reason ot condenser 65 connected across the terminals ofwinding 64, the alternating components or' the currents through windings64.- and 66 are dis theV plate :circuitmoi 'lhe current in the platecircuit oi? electron 1 tube l `produces alternating currentot the sainefrequency in the coupled oscillating circuit which circuit is normallytuned resonance at the frequency of such current. (Circuit b is coupledloosely with circuit c through the medium of 'trans'i'ormer T", and

circuit c is likewise tuned to resonance ut.-v

the same frequency as circuit a. lhecue rent thus induced in circuit cpi'oduces'an alterna-ting dierence of potentiai vlhetrveen the grid andfilament of electron tuhe K', and thus produces a pulsating current component of the same frequency in the plate circuit of electron tube K2,this pulsating component being ot sul'iicient amplitude Vto effectivelyenergize reiay R. TWhen, lion ever, core 24 passes over one of thetradiN way bars D, the resonance of circuit h at the given frequency isdestroyed se that the current which then iiows in this circuit` is coinparatiyely Weak. The" current which then induced in circuit c islikewise weakened, so that the current in the plate circuit of elec trontube li is' then insuiiicient to eil'ectively energize relay lt. Thede-energization of relay lit/is prevented, however. i'i the centconductor W' is supplied *with alterhating' current of the frequency towhich circuit c is tuned. ln this event, the sustained oscillations aremaintained in circuit c. so that the plate circuit 'tor electron tube l.y

K, carries pulsating current oi' suihcient amplitude to energize reiayit or to ireep this relay energizedl il" it is already in suchcondition.

lt follows from the foregoing that the tra quency of the currentsupplied to the their way conductors `W must be the saine the to whichcircuits a, Z) and c iujle"turuui,- K'

' Each 'block section is provided' with ere ot the bars D, which bar islocated at naar muni brakingzudistance `in the reurvot the entrance endof the section. Adjacent to each of the bars D is one oiE `theconducters titl', this conductor preferably L short distance beyond-eachend of the l vacent bar l). Each conliictor issupplied 'times withalternating current ofthe given 'quency, this supply being centrolliedby the track relay for the corresponding section.

Fur example, tlr'ends oit the conductor W in the rear of point E areconnected n/itlij the terminals of the secondary of former E, and thecircuit 'for the primary ci' this transformer is `troni the secendary oftransformer el, through contact 52 ci tract:

titi

cient to render said governing nieans active, and other trackway devicesfor supplying alternating current to' said amplifier to nullify the'edect of the rst devices on said governing means. i i V- i il. B ilwaytraliic controlling 4apparatus comprisingr a vehicle, a circuit thereonsupplied with alternating current and containing inductance andcapacity, a relay supplied with current from said circuit and et 5.Railway traitlic controlling" apparatus comprising all vehicle, aresonantcircuit thereon including a source oit alternating current, arelay supplied. with current from i said circuit and effectivelyenergized when relay.

tbe circuit ,is resonant, said relay operating when de-energized to opensaid circuit, devices located in the traclnvay for tempo rarilydestroying the resonance of said circuit and thereby fle-energizing saidrelay, trackway -means for energizing said relay independently of'saidcircuit,V and governing means on the vehicle controlled by said 6.Railway trafi'ic controlling apparatus comprising a vehicle, a resonantcircuit thereon includingI a source of alternating rcurrent, anamplifier controlled by currenty in said circnit vehicle governingvmeans supplied with current by said amplifier and 'lield in inactivecondition when said circuit is'resonant, traclrtvay means fortemporarily destroying the resonance of said circuit and therebyrendering said governing means etinet fective, and other 'traclrvvaydevices for supplyinpn alteri'iatinggm current to said amplifier tonullity tbe effect oit-tbe irstinentioned devices o n said governingmeans.

, 7. Railway traflic controlling apparatus `'coiinprisin@I a vehicle, ecircuit-tliereon snpiied with alternating current and containnog`indlictance and eapiicityya/secoiid cir cuit on the vehicle receivingenergy indue tively from tbe first circuit., vehicle govern .ing meanscontrolled by tbe second circuit and normally held in inactivecondition, de

lvices located in. tbe 4tracliway lor tempo rai'ily changing the vaineot ltbe indiictance -in said rst circuit to 'a sulicient degree tofrender said governingl means active, sind other tracks/ay means forsupplying current to said second circuit to maintain said gov-s erningrnica-ns in inactive condition inde pendently oi tbe condition of thetir/st cir i cuit. Y 8; Railway traiiic controlling apparats comprising,a vehicle ya circuit thereon in# cluding' a source oitalternatingcurrent, said circuit beingr normally tuned to resonance at thefrequency of said sourcei a second circuit on tbe vehicle receivingenergy inductively 'from tiie firstcircuit and tuned. to resonance atsaid frequency, a relay con trolled by said second circuit and arrang lto be effectivelyrnergised when tbe iii'l circuit is resonant, said f.relay operati when. cle-energized to open said lirst circuit deviceslocated at intervals in tlie traelrtvay for temporarily destroying tberesonance ot' said first circuit and thereby de-energiainn' said relay7otlieidevices located lin the tracinvvay for supplying current of said'frequency to said second circuit, and vehicle governing meanscontrolled by said relay and bold. .in

inactive condition when tbe relay is energized.

ln testimony Wliereol" l ailix my signature.

iiiiorn v Linens.

